Braiding machine



J. B. HALE. BRAIDING MACHINE.

l I APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5, I920. L4L84 25 Patented Oct. 31, 19225.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

Fyj ,2 2

J. B. HALE. BRAIDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5. I920- msmw mm 0ct.31l,1192l2.

2 SHEETS-SHED 2.

. i c. J 1 atented al JGSHUA is. or rnovrnnNon, nr-ronn ISLAND, assreNon, BY MESNE assIeN- NrnNrs, 'ro TEXTILE ENGINEERING coiaraNY, A oonronArIoN or nnonn ISLAND.

BRAIDING MACHINE.

Application fi1ed February 5,1920. Serial No. 356,363.

To all whom it may concern: and bind in the raceway due to the centrifu- Be it known that I, JOSHUA B. .TCIALE, a gal force and the inertia acting upon the citizen of the United States, and resident of rapidly traveling carrier to throw the load Providence, in the county of Providence and or cop outwardly while traveling in the cir- 5 State of Rhode Island, have invented cerc-ular raceway and also in changing its course 60 tain new and useful Improvements in Braidat the intersections thereof. Then again it ing li lachines, of which the following is a is found to be of particular advantage in specification. I driving this carrier at a rapid rate or speed This invention relates to improvements in that the driving member should engage the braidingmachines and carriers therefor, and carrier centrally or at a point intermedi- 65 has for its object to provide an improved ate theupper and lower edges of its guidiorni of braiding machine in which the quoit ing or bearing surfaces so as to minimembers are provided with relatively broad mize the tipping effect or the driver upon or extended carrier supporting peripheral the carrier.

surfaces, and also to a carrier having a cor- The following a detailed description ol? 7 0 rcspondingly extended bearing surface one 'lorin of mechanism which enables me to which serves to support it in upright posiaccomplish the desired results 2- tion against itst ndency to tip under action Referring to the drawings, 10 designates oi the cop or load above the raceway while the bedplate of the machine, which is suptraveling rapidly in its Zigzag course. ported on legs 11. The raceway-table com- VVith these and other objects in view, the prises an outer fixed ring 12 and an inner invention consists 01": certain novel -features fixed center member 13 in the spaces between of construction, as will be more fully dewhich are mounted circular rotatable quoit scribed, and particularly pointed out in the plates is. The raceway 15 is formed by pro- 2 appended claims. viding these quoit plates somewhat smaller 80 In the accompanying drawings: in diameter that the openings in the table in Figure 1-is a plan view illustrating a which they are set. These quoit plates are portion of the raceway table with quoit preferably circular in shape and each is plates rotatably mounted therein. made in a single unit all mounted on the cen- Figure 2-.-is a sectional elevation on line tral hub or pin 16. 2-2 of Figure 1. The outer or peripheral surface 17 of these Figure 3is a side elevation illustrating quoit plates is relatively broad Forming a a pair of quoit members geared togt-her and deep ciannel or raceway 15 in which the rotatably mounted on the bed plate of the carriersupporting member, presently de- 35 machine. scribed, is set. Midway between the upper Figure -:l-.-is a top view illustrating a porand lower edges of this carrier-supporting tion of the quoit member with a laterallysurftace I have provided a narrow annular extending notched driving flange thereon enflange 18 which is provided with a plurality the driving neck portion oi? the carof carrier-receiving notches 19 about its cirrier: also illustrating by shaded linesthat cumference for the purpose presently deportion of the flange which serves to enter scribed. the space between the divided guiding sec- @11 the lower edge or to the bottom of this lions to support the carrier. quoit member I have mounted a driving gear Figure 5--is a side elevation showing part 520 which is adapted to mesh with those oi 4.5 oi a carrier including that portion. which the other quoit members: to rotate them all 10%? travels and is guided in the raceway. I in unison.

Figure 6-is a perspective view showing I have also recessed the upper face of this the raceway guiding portion of the carrier quoit member as at 21 for the purpose of propartly in section. viding a lubricant-storing chamber having 50 It is found in practice in braiding 1na-. ducts 22 through which the lubricant may chines where it is-required that the carrier pass to oil the surfaces of the different should run very rapidly that a very broad or notches 19. extended bearing surface should be. proihe carrier 28 is provided with an extendvided on the carrier to support the same in ed body or block having bearing and guides upright position against its tendency to tip ing surface which body or hid it is divided 1.1O

I at 2i forming an upper bearing surface and a lower bearing surface 26 connected together by a circular driving neck portion 27, which neck portion is adapted to fit into the notches 19 in the flange l8 driven thereby as the quoit rotates.

By this construction it will. be seen that the flange 18 extends into the groove or space 24: between the upper and lower bearing members of the carrier thereby presenting a carrier-simporting surface the extent of which is illustrated by the shade lines at 28 in Figure 4 and as this surface moves with the carrier the driving friction on the latter is reduced to the minimum.

By my improved construction it will be seen that I have obtained a number of important advantages in the operation of a braidin machine; first, the quoit members are made to rotate and are provided with very broad engaging peripheral surfaces which cooperate with a similar supporting surface on the carrier to hold the carrier in an upright position and prevent it from tipping or swaying from side to side as it is moved rapidly through the serpentine raceway; second, I engage the guiding surface of the carrier about midway between its upper and lower guiding members and thus balance the frictional resistance between the upper and lower guiding surfaces due to exerting a driving pressure at a point substantially in the center thereof.

y my improved construction of braiding machine I am enabled to drive the carriers at a very high velocity and by supporting the carriers against an oscillating motion I am enabled to produce a high quality of work which is uniform in character.

By the term broad or extended as applied to the supporting surface of the quoits and carriers, in both the specification and claims, I wish to be understood as meaning av supporting or hearing with a substantial distance between its upper and lower bearing edges and the bearing or contacting portion of the surface itself may or may not be continuous between these edges.

The foregoing description is directed solely towards .the construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which thedevice is susceptible, the invention being defined and limited. only by the terms of the appended claims.

I. claim: H

1. In abraiding machine, a'plurality of rotatably mounted quoit members adapted to receive "a traveling carrier between them. and to move the same, each of said quoit members having a broad flange between its upper and lower edges recessed to receive of the qnoit to be face constructed the stem portion of the carrier, the upper and lower faces of each flange constituting a guiding and bearing surface for. engagement with faces of the carriers, and the wall of said quoit members above and 'belowjsaid flange also constituting bearing and supportingsurfaces for the carriers.

2. In abraiding machine, a plurality of rotatably mounted quoit members adapted to receive a traveling carrier between them and to move the same, each of said quoit members having mating flanges between their upper and lower edges notched to re ceive stem portions of the carriers, the upper and lower faces of the flanges constituting bearing surfaces for contacting surfaces of the carriers, and'the walls of said. quoit members both above and below said flanges constituting vertical supports for the cal riers.

3. In a braiding machine, a plurality of rotatable quoit members adapted to constitute with the framing of the machine path ways for the carriers and a plurality of travcling carriers having downwardly extending stems with spaced block portions, said quoit members each having between their upper and lower edges broad flanges notched to receive a stem portion of the carriers, and the upper andlower faces of said flanges constituting bearing surfaces for the contacting block portions of the carriers.

4t. In a braiding machine, a plurality of rotatable quoit' members adapted to constitute with the framing of the machine pathways for the carriers and a plurality of traveling carriers having downwardly extending stems with spaced block portions, said quoit members each having-between their upper and lower edges broad flanges notched to receive a stem portion of the carriers, and the upper and lower faces of said flangesconstituting bearing surfaces for the contacting block portions of the carriers and the ver-' tical faces of the quoit members above and below said flanges constituting guiding and bearing portions for the vertical faces of said block members.

5. In a braiding machine, rotatably mounted quoit members adapted a plurality of to recelve a traveling block-membered carrier between them and. to each of said quoit members having a broad flange, the upper and lower faces whereof are directly engaged by the upper and lower move the same.

faces of said block members, and the verti- JOSHUA e; HALE. 

